How to Reverse an 18-Month Decline in Marketing Performance

By David Ronald

One of my proudest achievements occurred as head of marketing at Foxit Software, a leading provider of PDF software solutions. 

When I took the reins of the marketing team, the company had faced an 18-month decline in lead volumes. We reversed this trend within just two months, and, over the next nine months, achieved an average growth of 25% growth in leads.

So, how did we turn things around?

Surprisingly, it wasn't through sweeping changes or bold, disruptive initiatives – instead, we focused on incremental, strategic adjustments that made a significant impact collectively.

In this blog post, I'll share the key strategies that we applied to transform a challenging situation into a growth inflection point.

1. Nurture a Positive Environment

One of my first priorities was to create a collaborative atmosphere within the team. It was clear that change was inevitable, and I wanted to ensure that everyone not only felt prepared for it, but also motivated to embrace it. 

As a new addition to the team, it was important for me to establish trust quickly – I wanted everyone to feel confident that I would serve as a constructive influence and always prioritize the best interests of the team. (I had learned the hard way in a previous role that being the proverbial “bull in a china shop” wasn't an effective leadership approach.)

By fostering positive, but honest, dialogue, I was able to establish the foundation for building a shared sense of purpose. (Fortunately, the team already had a strong sense of camaraderie, which made it easier to build momentum and create a collaborative atmosphere.)

My role was to amplify this dynamic, encouraging cross-functional input, celebrating both large and small wins, and ensuring that each team member felt that their contributions mattered and made an impact. I am confident that this collaborative mindset played a significant role in our success.

2. Analyze Past Performance

Next, I implemented a series of reviews to optimize our marketing efforts—our objective was to determine what was working, what wasn’t, and where we could better allocate our resources.

We focused on three key factors to understand the efficacy of prior programs:

• We examined which activities generated the most leads in absolute terms, allowing us to pinpoint the highest-impact channels and tactics.
• We assessed the Cost per Lead (CPL) to determine which activities provided the best return on investment, helping us prioritize initiatives that delivered high-quality leads at a sustainable cost.
• We evaluated the effort required for each activity. By identifying initiatives that consumed excessive time or resources with limited results, we could streamline processes and focus on the highest-impact, most efficient efforts.

Through this process, we began to establish a culture of data-driven decision-making, something that appeared to have been missing before my arrival.

3. Define Roles Collaboratively

As a result of the review described in #2, it became evident that the marketing mix needed to be adjusted. Some programs needed to be scaled up, others introduced, and some scaled back or phased out.

I defined nine core programs for the team to run and assigned a team member to manage each. This wasn't a rushed decision or a top-down mandate – instead, I wanted to foster a sense of ownership and enthusiasm among the team.

For these programs to succeed, each person needed to fully embrace their role and bring their unique strengths to it.

For example, I identified someone to establish and lead our email marketing program, a critical initiative requiring both strategic thinking and executional excellence. Initially, this individual hesitated, feeling the role was "too big" for them.

I had full confidence in their abilities, and after a series of informal, supportive conversations, I was able to help them see the potential I saw. They agreed to take on the role, and their performance not only validated my belief in them but exceeded expectations (as well as the expectations of the VP of Sales).

Once program owners were in place, I worked closely with each person to create detailed plans, defining activities and KPIs specific to their program. This process was collaborative, not top-down.

Nothing was imposed – by respecting each person’s preferences and ideas, we created a culture of empowerment and accountability.

4. Prep for Clarity

From time to time, we identified specific campaigns that could complement our ongoing activities and capitalize on unique opportunities.

For instance, after winning a deal by successfully outmaneuvering a major competitor, we wanted to launch a campaign that could replicate our success in other markets. These targeted campaigns played a critical role in driving further growth and capturing new opportunities. 

One key practice I implemented was requiring the campaign owner to define each initiative clearly and thoroughly.

Every campaign had to include:

• A well-defined goal.
• A list of activities designed to achieve that goal.
• KPIs to measure the success of those activities.

Additionally, I asked for an end date for each campaign. Upon completion, the campaign owner was required to write a summary, detailing what worked, what didn’t, and what they would do differently in the future. This process helped us create a feedback loop for continuous improvement.

As former President Dwight Eisenhower famously said, "A plan is useless, but planning is priceless." By establishing this disciplined approach, we not only created a shared understanding of what was working but also consistently identified opportunities to refine our strategy.

I believe that more marketing teams could benefit from adopting this practice – it’s simple, but effective – and fosters accountability, learning, and iterative improvement.

5. Strive for Honesty

One of my boyhood heroes, Formula One racing driver Niki Lauda, famously said, “From success, you learn absolutely nothing. From failure and setbacks, conclusions can be drawn.”

Marketing teams can sometimes feel inclined to hide bad results – this was a trap that I was determined to avoid falling into.

Acknowledging areas for improvement is never easy, but it was essential for our growth. We didn’t shy away from underperforming metrics – instead, we discussed them openly, outlining corrective actions and the steps we were taking to address the gaps.

By fostering transparency, we built a culture of integrity.

This not only strengthened our relationships within the team but also laid a solid foundation for our future success, as people felt comfortable opening up and asking peers for advice.

6. Celebrate Successes

One of the practices that I was happy to implement was recognizing and rewarding team members for their achievements.

We implemented a few recognition programs, such as the Employee of the Month award, to publicly acknowledge standout performances. We also introduced spot bonuses to reward contributions that directly impacted the success of a project or campaign.

To make recognition even more personal, team members who achieved significant milestones received handwritten thank-you notes from the CEO, expressing genuine appreciation for their efforts.

Looking back, I feel that these recognition practices were instrumental in boosting morale and contributing to higher levels of motivation, engagement, and creativity, which had an outsized impact on our success.

7. Encourage Innovation

Last, but not least, I made it a priority to foster an environment where innovation was actively encouraged. Without creative exploration, daily activities can become mundane and uninspiring, ultimately leading to stagnation.

To keep the team motivated and forward-thinking, I made sure we were always looking for new ways to challenge the status quo and explore new territory.

Of course, I understood that not every experiment would be successful. Failure is an inherent part of the process when pushing boundaries. However, I encouraged the team to take risks and experiment, knowing that mistakes were not the end but an opportunity to learn and apply those insights to future efforts.

I believe that adoption of this mindset improved the performance of the team.

Summary

In conclusion, the strategies I implemented at Foxit Software helped reverse a prolonged decline and set the stage for sustained growth.

By fostering a collaborative, data-driven, and innovative culture, we turned challenges into opportunities and created a path forward that led to consistent success.

Thanks for reading.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you would have done differently, if you had been in my place.